Welcome to Shelbyville

WXXI's Community Cinema invites you to a free screening of the Independent Lens film Welcome to Shelbyville.

Join us Thursday, May 19 at 7 p.m. as WXXI's Community Cinema presents a screening of Welcome to Shelbyville.The event is free and open to the public. The screening will be held at WXXI's Studios and followed by a panel discussion.

Set in the heart of America’s Bible belt, Welcome to Shelbyville focuses on a small southern town that is trying to come to terms with immigration and the crumbling economy. Longtime African American and white residents are challenged with how to integrate with a growing Latino population and the more recent arrival of hundreds of Muslim Somali refugees.

Set on the eve of the 2008 Presidential election, the film captures the interaction between these residents as they navigate new waters against the surroundings of a chaotic year. The economy is in crisis, factories are closing, and jobs are hard to find. This story is a portrayal of a community’s struggle to understand what it means to be American.